Whoohoo! It has begun!

Whoohoo is not as good as “Hallelujah, but it translates pretty close. Whether we use Hallelujah or Whoohoo, let’s get excited. The renovation of the kitchen started Monday, April 13! I find myself going back there every 30 minutes or so just to see the progress. I never knew deconstruction could be so exciting and look so good.

From now until the project is finished, we will probably have the kitchen doors locked off to most of us. There is really not much in there now you can use…it has been emptied out. No ice, no sinks, no pans, no spoons…no nothin’! It is one big beautiful empty box. I get more and more excited with every new thing the construction workers do.

Now for the challenging work. We are trying to continue on with Wednesday Night Dinners. The menu will be basic, but delicious. The Wednesday Night dinners will rotate between hamburgers cooked on the grill, pizza from our two favorite pizza joints, and hotdogs cooked on the grill. Thanks to our Grill Master Todd and our every faithful Kitchen Krew! Again, it will be a basic menu until completion. We are hoping the project will be over on Wednesday, May 13. You know what our welcome back meal will be…oh yeah! Fried Chicken, mac-n-cheese, a great salad and a few other items filled with deliciousness.

This no Kitchen Zone will also affect our Celebrate Recovery Meal on Sunday evenings. They will likewise just work from a very basic menu for a few weeks. It will be worth it all when we get back to our full schedule!

Until then, see you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

PRAY CHARLESTON 2026

“I urge, then, first of all, that petition, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pray Charleston, 2026 is not just a good idea, it is a “God” idea! The Apostle Paul, moved by the Holy Spirit, records our Father’s heart when it comes to praying for the city where you work, live, play and learn. We waited until Easter Sunday to roll out this prayer mission. It was our hope to present it to as many people as possible and to influence as many as possible to join us in Pray Charleston 2026. We made available prayer materials that will help you know “what and who” to pray for. Of course, you do not have to use these materials. You may already have a plan in place. Great! If you need a little guidance, we have it available. By the way, if you were not here Sunday with the other 414 of us (insert Hallelujah right here!), we do have it available. You can find it right outside the office door. Or text us, and we can make sure you get it. If you are homebound or live away and would like to participate, we will mail it to you and show you where you can get it on line. Anyway we can, we want to lead our church family and friends to Pray for Charleston.

Jeremiah 29:7 says to us, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have called you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” We also have some postcards if you would care to write a note to someone you are praying for. Your first responder might like to hear that someone is praying for them…I suspect their families would be thankful as well. Let your government officials know you are praying for them. (Please, do not use the JIBC post card to write negative comments)

“Who’s your one?” Who is that one person that is near to you but far from God? Would you ask Father to reveal a name to you and then commit to praying for that person. It can be someone who is dear to you or someone who is near to you. They are also dear to God but may not be near to Him. Let’s pray for them this year. Please let us know when your one comes to know Him. We would love to celebrate with you!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

MISSION: PRAY CHARLESTON 2026

Pray Charleston 2026 is really a part two, a follow-up of Pray Charleston 2025. We joined over 60 different church families of various denominations and non-denoms, to cover Charleston in prayer 24 hours a day for the entire year of 2025. This year, JIBC is taking a little different route. We are inviting and equipping our church family to pray for our beloved cities on a regular basis, not just on the 10th of every month. We will have hand-out materials and on=line material to help you have options on who and what to pray for this year. Some will pray daily, some will pray regularly, but maybe not daily. I always thought half a loaf is better than none. So, no matter how often you pray, you are a part of the Mission: Pray Charleston 2026.

Two key Bible Verses to be familiar with. Jeremiah 29:7 says “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

The second verse is 1 Timothy 2:1-2. “I urge you, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers , intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings, and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness.”

AN ACT OF WORSHIP

Each year we invite our church family and friends to “flower the cross” on Easter Sunday. You may bring flowers from your own yard (or a neighbor’s yard!) or purchase flowers to share. You bring them to the worship center before the 9:00 and the 11:00 services. We will have volunteers there to help place them on the cross. It really is a beautiful way of viewing the old rugged cross. It is transformed into that “wondrous attraction to me”.

AN ACT OF SERVICE

Our JIBC family has several ministries that are in need of volunteer servant and leaders. Would you pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He would send forth workers? (Luke 10:2)

First, we have a wonderful opportunity to reach young adults college and career ages. This demographic is attending JIBC but we do not have a Connection Group for them. Perhaps you are the one. Let’s talk.

Second, our preschool ministry is growing and we need a few extra hands. The particular age group is the 2 and 3 year old classes. Best case scenario involves three people for the 10:00 hour and three people for the 11:00 hour. The current leaders will try to get you on a rotation so you will serve once every month or so. Great opportunity for a Connection Group to serve together.

Third, we need two workers, this one is a paid position, to keep the nursery for Celebrate Recovery. There are many times when there are no children. But when there are, we want to provide for the preschooler so the parent/s can attend Celebrate Recovery.

Fourth, our beloved Kitchen Krew is falling apart! Bless their hearts, they have served faithfully for many years. They hit a streak when all of them were down and out at the same time. The kitchen renovation is coming at a perfect time for the Kitchen Krew to recover. If you have ever thought of helping in the kitchen and literally serving the church family, they could use your help.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

 

 

THE LAST SEVEN DAYS

 

THE LAST SEVEN DAYS

Not all weeks are created equal. We had a seven-day run that was quite challenging. Three funerals, one wedding and welcoming four new members…all in seven days! As a church family we said “good-bye for now” to three of our beloved friends and members. We said “Congratulations” to a beautiful couple who tied the knot with a spectacularly beautiful wedding. We said “Welcome to the family ” to four gifts from God who felt led to join the JIBC family. ( I think a few more will be coming in the weeks ahead.) It is what our Disney friends would call the “Circle of Life.” We consider it an honor to stand with these at such a time in their lives. The Good Lord gives and the Good Lord takes away, blessed be His name. All of these mentioned about would so love your prayers and blessings.

A HOUSE OF PRAYER

Of all the things JIBC is known for, I would like to think that prayer is near the top of the list.

You all did such a wonderful job is the 2025 Pray Charleston mission. We joined around 60 churches from different denominations to attempt having someone praying for Charleston every minute of every hour of every day for the entire year. JIBC met the challenge. We chose to cover the 10th day of every month. We had 168 people involved and had every minute of the 10th day of each month completely covered. Well done.

Pray Charleston 2026 is similar but not the same. We will be rolling out materials that will help our church family take Pray Charleston 2026 to a higher level. We are asking all our church members and friends to join us in praying regularly, if not daily, for our beloved Charleston. We will give you information to help you know who and what to pray for each day you decide to pray. We have written the material so everyone, children, youth and adults could pray for Charleston. Of course, you can add to or take away from the material to make it better suit you. Or, you will have no problem just following the daily prayer prompts. There is a book on prayer that has a great name: “Too Busy Not To Pray”. Amen, I think we all could agree on that.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

We are only a few weeks away from the beginning oof the JIBC Kitchen Renovation. That will cause a few wrinkles in our programming but only for a short time. Starting April 6 through May 13 there will be no access to the Kitchen…none. No ice machine, no sinks, no nuthin’. We will have quick and easy meals for Wednesday nights and Celebrate Recovery. More on that to come!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC

Good to be back home! Janie and I had a wonderful week away on vacation. We returned late Sunday night and are both back in our offices ready for a new week! My thanks for our staff and leaders. I can be away knowing that I leave everything in good hands.

Class 101: Discovering Membership…a new twist! We are trying to make Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC more user and family friendly. We have changed the four hour format to a two- hour seminar. How can we do that? We have the first two sessions on line and available for you to work through them at your own pace. Then you join me for Sessions Three: Our Strategy and Session 4: Our Structure. We have put Session One: Our Salvation—Discovering what God has done for us and Session Two: Our Statement—Why we exist as a church on line. So, the entire Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC is still available, just is a more user-friendly version. We will still do a quick review of Session 1 and 2.

So, this Sunday, March 22 will be our first time using this new format. Join me from 4—6 PM and let’s see if JIBC may be the church family for you. You can view Class 101 sessions 1 and 2 at Right Now Media. You sign up for a free account and can search for Class 101 and look for my smiling face! LOL. If you would like to attend and have not already signed up, please call the church office at 843-762-0244.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance!”. W have had quite a few deaths in our church family this past month. I had two funerals this week…a time to weep and a time to mourn. Mainly the weeping is for us because we say goodbye to someone we love. We rejoice when there is no more pain and suffering, no more tears, no more fear. In heaven, there will be a time of great joy, laughter, dancing and celebrating. Until then, we say goodbye for now to our friends.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we begin an emphasis on “PRAY CHARLESTON”. Our two verses will be Jeremiah 29:7 and 2 Timothy 2:1-2. Until then, blessings and love.

Pastor Tom

 

PRAYING FOR MISSIONS

You may have heard it said many times: “What do missionaries request more than any other thing?” You are right if you said PRAYER! Interceding for anyone is a great gift. Praying for those in a mission setting can be like breathing in fresh air. Knowing someone cares enough to pray, believes that God hears our prayers and that God in His grace answers prayers. What a gift!

This month you can pick up a North American Missions Prayer Guide at JIBC. They are located just outside the doors entering the Worship Center. North America has a population of 386 million people; 378 languages; an estimated 291 million who are spiritually lost; and an unbelievable 161 Unreached People Groups. That is a lot to say grace over!

Each day of the Prayer Guide will give you a very brief description of one of the missionaries we support through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. You will read some of the most interesting stories about unique and creative ways of reaching North America. If you cannot pick up a prayer guide, perhaps you can check them out online at www.AnnieArmstrong.com.

“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us-to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

CLASS 101: DISCOVERING CHURCH MEMEBERSHIP-SOMETHING NEW

We are introducing a new idea to the Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. We are putting “Session One” and “Session Two” online. Big advantages for you: cuts the class time down from 4 hours to 2; allows you to do the first two sessions on your schedule; gives you a little more time to read the material and prepare questions. The key to getting the most out of Class 101 will be doing the first two sessions ahead of time. We wont “check them” to see if you completed them, but we will ask! We hope this opens the door for those who would like to take the next step toward becoming a member at JIBC! I hope you will sign up and join us. You can check it out on RightNow Media. If you already have an account, just login and search for CLASS 101. If you don’t have an account, now’s a great time to sign up. It’s completely free and has a lot of great content. 

To sign up for your free account, simply follow this link: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/jamesisland.


Pastor Tom

Well Jane, it just goes to show you

I cannot help but to show my age anymore, so here goes another reveal. The year was 1977 and the bright shining star was Gilda Radner. Her unforgettable character was Roseanne Roseannadanna. Her famous line was: “Well Jane, it just goes to show you, it’s always something. If it is not one thing, it is another!” No truer words have ever been spoken.

On buildings as old as the JIBC buildings, “it’s always something. If it is not one thing, it is another.” We have more than a few building projects going on. I thought it might be helpful to give an update on a few of them. In no particular order.

• There was a major issue with one of the restrooms in the front of the Worship Center. One of the restrooms is connected straight to the city sewage and one is still on a septic tank. Want to guess which one is the problem? So, that restroom will be out of order for a little while. Thank you, Jesus, we still have the other one!

• The installation of the long awaited awnings over the side entrances has begun. Of course, when you tear into, add to, take from an old building, you always will be blessed with unforeseen surprises. They found a few, but progress is being made!

• The Kitchen Renovation is getting closer. If I were guessing, I would say maybe April. There will be a time when we will not be able to use the kitchen for anything until renovations are complete. That will be a sweet day!

• The two restrooms in the hallway leading to the Fellowship Hall are also on the docket. They will most likely be addressed after the Kitchen project.

• The Ministry Center where the Hispanics meet for worship is still on our agenda but it is way down the list. The Hispanic Church is able to meet but with a much more limited space. They will be looking for a new home in the near future.

• The stage in our Worship Center has some safety issues and some aesthetic concerns. The safety issues will be addressed first and probably sooner rather than later.

“Well Jane, it just goes to show you. It’s always something. If it is not one thing, it is another.” Praise God from whom all blessings flow. He has provided all we have needed; the finances, the right team, the right leaders, the right time. Maybe we could paraphrase Roseanne’s words: “If it is not one blessing from God, is it another!”

As we often say, God is good all the time and all the time, God is good!

Pastor Tom

KINGDOM PARTNERS

Thank the goodness of God we are not in this alone! Any part of the mission and ministry of the church would be immeasurably more difficult if we had to do it all by ourselves. We are blessed to have what I call Kingdom Partners. That can be churches, institutions or ministries whose mission intersects with ours. For instance, Charleston Baptist Association is a collection of over 70 churches in the greater Charleston County area. We partner with them to do things like strengthen churches, strengthen leaders and start new churches. Another ministry would be the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. We love their mission and find ways to partner with them. There are several others but the one I am highlighting today is the James Island Outreach.

The James Island Outreach is committed to helping our under served neighbors. In 2025 JIO distributed over 370,000 pounds of food to 903 households. They provided financial assistance to 117 clients. They offered Financial Resource Workshops on developing a Personal Financial Plan. They do a whole lot more but I think you get the idea. This is a Kingdom Mission Partner we really love.

James Island Baptist Church, by God’s good grace and blessings, gave $11,4425 to James Island Outreach. In addition, we gave 3,749 pounds of food donations…mostly jelly and pancake syrup! Occasionally we throw in some green beans and other vegetables! You also gave 657 volunteer hours, mostly with face- to- face interactions with our neighbors. That is a little more than 4 months of 40 hour a week volunteering.

Now, what can we do? Would you be willing to volunteer some time? Better yet, could you get your Connection Group, family or friends, to make a “Pantry Team”? Only thing better than doing mission work is doing it together. Why? Because we are…c’mon, you can hear Logan say it…WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER! Of course, keep on, all year long, picking up a jar of jelly or a bottle of pancake syrup…and anything else you might see on sale or BOGO. Do you like construction work: painting, basic carpentry work, sweat equity kind of work? Then Jeff Gordon, the other Jeff Gordon, is your man. Check them out at www.jioutreach.org.

Thanks for being Kingdom minded followers of Jesus. See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

“Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!”

Our thanks to the Holy Spirit and the Apostle Paul for such a heartfelt reminder to rejoice in our precious Lord. And in case we missed it, he says it again…”again I say rejoice”. I know you join me in rejoicing in the blessings of God upon our JIBC family. As we like to say, God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

I want to invite you to and encourage you to attend, our upcoming Ministry Management Team/Quarterly Ministry Conference. It will be held on Wednesday, February 25 at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. The meal is on us, so come on a little early if you can and enjoy the meal.

We have several mission and ministry items on our agenda. They will include, but not be limited to: the financial statement (spoiler alert, 2025 was the best year ever!); a construction plan update on the awnings, the bathrooms and the kitchen; and an update on the Associate Pastor position. The primary Mission/Ministry is to present the “Pray Charleston 2026” plan. We had a successful Pray Charleston 24/7 where JIBC and friends joined together to pry on the 10th of every month. That ended on December 10, 2025. Our prayers for Charleston have not ended. It is my desire to lead our church family and friends to pray on a regular basis for our beloved city. To that end, we will be providing our church family with the needed tools to become intercessors on behalf of the greater Charleston area. As a Shepherd/Pastor, I am pretty excited about this.

For those who cannot attend, we will try to have an on- line video that will bring you up to speed. Believe it or not, the launch date I have chosen is Easter Sunday! Why not present this when we have the most people present?

Let’s do it again: “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!”

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

Last year you may remember that JIBC took on another Giant, removing the stigma of mental health and raising awareness of mental health issues and addictions. It was big, really big. We had dozens of community “mental health vendors” . The attendance was a little below what we had hoped for, but the event could not have gone better. People came and met needed resources; health professionals made significant networks connections; conversations were had about mental health issues; and on and on.

Now, what could be better? NAMI, the National Alliance of Mental Illness attended the Festival of Hope. They liked it so much, they decided to “sponsor” the entire event this year. It is tentatively scheduled for July 2026! They have a grant to help pay for the event. They are currently seeking a place that would allow the event to be held indoors and avoid the potential weather cancellations. Did you see that? What could be better than hosting the Festival of Hope? Having someone else host and allowing JIBC to have input on creativity and connection. I absolutely love how this worked out! JIBC can still have a booth for our church and a booth for Celebrate Recovery. As we get closer to the event, we will certainly let you know the details. To God be the glory! We know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His good purpose.

Mental health is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all. Mental Health needs more sunlight, more candor and more unashamed conversation. Thank you JIBC family for helping to get that conversation started! Just reason number 789 why I love our church family so much!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

I CONSIDER IT A PRIVILEGE

Each year for around the last 20 years, I have been invited to participate in “The Four Chaplains Service”. The American Legion, Post 147, on Folly Road, invites me along with a few other Pastors, Priests and Rabbis to participate in the reading of the story. This Sunday, February1st at 2:00 will be the time of the meeting. If you have never seen the service, I invite you to join us. It is an inspirational story of faith and bravery.

On February 3rd, 1943, a German submarine sank the USS Dorchester, a transport ship with 902 souls on board. With total chaos and panic of the explosion, smoke and fire many were killed and many were terrible wounded. In the midst of such pandemonium, the four Chaplains on board joined together to bring hope and comfort. They offered prayers and help to those disoriented. They also offered their own life jackets giving hope to soldiers but sealing their own fate. They never asked are you Protestant, Catholic or Jew. They were an inspiring example of their faith, courage and selflessness. Only 230 of the men on board survived. All four of the Chaplains perished. Almost 82 years later, their story is still told and their names are read with gratitude: Lt. Rev. George L. Fox; Lt. Rabbi Alexander Goode; Lt. Priest John Washington; Lt. Rev Clark Poling. They were posthumously awarded The Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart.

Our thanks to the many men and women who serve and have served our beloved country. We pray God’s protection on all who serve. May you all come home safe to your homes and your families. May we remember those who did not.

God bless America,

Pastor Tom Brown

 

DON’T YOU HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS?

This past Sunday I read to the church family, the resignation letter of our Associate Pastor, Kyle Hooss. As I said Sunday, no one could have been more surprised than me. It has been a joy to work with Kyle. I have been blessed by his friendship and greatly helped by his giftedness. We were in one of those times when the staff seemed to be working together on all cylinders as the old saying goes.

Kyle and his sweet family felt called to a small church in Hartsville, South Carolina. He will be the “Campus Pastor” for up to three years while he learns the spiritual DNA of the sending church, Cornerstone Baptist Church located in the Florence/Darlington area. After 3 years, with the Lord’s blessing, they would be launched as an autonomous church and Kyle would be the Pastor. There is no doubt that he will do a great job. He is as talented and dedicated as anyone I have worked with in that position. Like you, I wish him and Melissa the very best. We say to Kyle what we say every Sunday about prayer: “If you write it down, we will lift it up”. We will pray with him for favor with God and man.

Kyle’s last Sunday with us is February 8 and his last day is Wednesday, February 11. Until then, you will find him working as hard as he always has. Make sure you speak to him and bless him.

Now, our journey begins. We will pray, seeking God’s guidance, do some reviewing to see where we are and what we need to do next. Pray for us as we begin the “Mystery of the Hunt!” As you can figure out, the way this process often works is we will likely be talking with someone, who like Kyle, is serving another church but is open to a move. And there will be another church like JIBC who will miss the departing staff member. It is not the best system, but it is one of the main ways this process is worked out!

We love the Hooss family and will miss them. See you this Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PRAY CHARLESTON 24/7?

I have been thrilled that for the last year few had 168 of our JIBC family and friends praying for our beloved city, Charleston. We were a part of a multi-denominational, city-wide effort to cover Charleston in prayer every hour of every day for one entire year. Well done thou good and faithful servants, well done.

So, do we just quit praying now that the year is over? As the Apostle Paul says “May it never be!” Now we pray differently, with a little different schedule. You are, of course, welcome to continue to pray at your selected time slot on the 10th of every month. That would be fantastic. Or…you might “expand” your selected time to include a moment or two of every day you have your own personal time with God.

Pastor Kyle will continue to send out a monthly reminder to pray for the greater Charleston area. The exact details will be fleshed out as we go along. Until then, how does this sound? What if every Sunday we offered prayers for local Pastor’s and Spiritual Leaders in Charleston. Praying that the Gospel would be preached and lives would be changed. Perhaps on Mondays we would pray for local Law Enforcement Offices (LEO’s), National Guard and ICE-AGENTS. Tuesdays we could lift up the mayors of our surrounding cities, our police chiefs and fire chiefs and their teams. Wednesdays, let’s make it a point to pray for the churches we pass on our way to work, shop or play. See if you can find out the name of their pastor and pray for that pastor by name. Thursdays, be in prayer for our educational institutions: schools, colleges, teachers, professors. Pray for students. Fridays could be praying for political issues: racial reconciliation, President Trump, politicians at any level. And Saturday could be your day to pray for Christian ministries like James Island Outreach, Lowcountry Pregnancy, Charleston Baptist Association, etc.

All I wanted to do here is give you an idea, an example, of how we can continue, grow and expand the wonderful idea of Pray Charleston. We are not stopping our prayer for Charleston, we are expanding it…every day, 7 days a week to intercede for our beloved city! I love you all so much.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

 

FINDING THINGS STORED AWAY

It is the time of the year when Janie and I will start “de-decorating” our home. I have loved the Christmas decorations, all the Nativity scenes, and especially the Christmas Tree with all of the lights. But for us, it is time to put them away. So, this Friday and Saturday we will start packing the decorations and start putting them away.

Now, there is a hidden bonus in this “storing things away chore”. Every now and then, we come across something that has been “missing” only to find it was not missing. It was only resting safely where we last put it! When you find something that has been missing, it is like getting a gift.

I hope these next five weeks will find us excitedly finding some spiritual gifts, some spiritual disciplines, that have been stored away for a while. Let’s discover them together as we unpack some of these gifts. It could very well be that for you, these gifts, these spiritual disciplines have never gone missing. I really do believe many of our church family and friends practice these spiritual habits on a regular basis. For others, it may require dusting off a little and finding a place in our lives for these missing treasures. Some may have forgotten what the Bible says about some of these disciplines and habits. For the next five weeks, let’s celebrate them together. These gifts of spiritual disciplines help us strengthen our inner man and outer lives. Perhaps they can help reshape us back into a deeper maturity to live the life of abundance Jesus’ spoke of in John 10:10! There are inward disciplines like prayer and Bible reading and mediation. There are also outward disciplines like rest, sabbath, solitude and service. The end result we are aiming for is to bring us closer to God and to one another.

A popular TV add as the questions: “What is in your wallet?” I modify the question to ask : “What is in your stored away box?” Let’s take some things out and see. Let’s start with Prayer. As we finish up the PRAY CHARLESTON 24/7/365, let’s see how we can continue praying for Charleston. Someone said “to pray is to change”. OK, then let’s make 2026 about prayer…and about change!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom